


Fixing Cracked Foundations

by Zeepacna



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Civil War Fix-It, M/M, No Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Time Travel, infinity war fix it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2020-02-04 12:10:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18604255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zeepacna/pseuds/Zeepacna
Summary: After spending 65 years in the ice, Steve Rodger's woke up in a world were Howard's son was in a long term relationship with a man who looked exactly like his (dead) best friend.





	Fixing Cracked Foundations

**Author's Note:**

> I saw Endgame yesterday and needed something to get over the sad.
> 
> Any similaritys to Endgame in this fic are a coincidence.

Bucky may have cracked a joke about the end of the world when Steve had shown up in Wakanda with a wounded Vision and what was left of the Avengers, but given both Steve and the Avengers track record, he didn’t truly believe that they would lose.

Sure, the whole battle had been a mess, but after World War II and 70 years as the fist of HYDRA, that was just par for the course. But Thor had shown up in a flash of lighting and buried his axe in Thanos’s chest.

It hadn’t been enough.

Bucky remembers yelling for Steve.

He remembers a flash of green.

Then he remembers nothing.

 

* * *

 

Steve had just finished his morning run around the reflecting pool with Sam when Natasha showed up.

Natasha showing up unexpected was never a good sign.

After Steve had been found, he had wanted to stay in Brooklyn, because it was familiar, even though 65 years had passed and nothing was familiar, it was home.

The Physiatrist SHIELD had forced him to see had nipped that in the bud and shipped him off D.C. telling Director Fury in no uncertain terms that “The world had better be fucking ending!” before he would allow Steve to be an active field agent before he had dealt with the fact that everyone he knew was dead and had acclimated to the 21st century.

Steve had hated her for that. He had just wanted to get out there and pretend that everything was fine and just get past it. It was what men did after all.

Two years, Sam and a mountain of therapy later, he couldn’t help but be grateful to the small woman who cussed like a sailor and didn’t put up with any of his rubbish. She had helped him come to terms with everything that had happened, including Bucky’s death.

Steve had finally been cleared to work as a SHIELD agent and was supposed to be starting next week.

The last time Nat had shown up without warning the press had learnt that Captain America was alive, and he had almost gotten mobbed before she and Sam had gotten him off the street.

“Steve, Sam.” Natasha greeted them with a nod. “There has been an incident, I’m going to need you both to come with me.”

“Nat, what’s going on?” Steve asked.

“Barton’s been compromised.”

 

* * *

 

“Ok, I get it. Steve’s _Captain America_ and all of that, but why the hell am I here? I mean you have Iron Man and _The Hulk_ , who let’s face it, is big, green and mean. What the hell am I bringing to this party?” Sam asked as he looked through the briefing packet that had been given to them before they had boarded the quinjet.

Steve didn’t want to say anything, but he had to agree with Sam, the other people that had been included in the _Avengers Initiative_ were exceptional. Sam was a solider sure, had been pararescue in the air force before he was discharged, but there was nothing about him other than being Steve’s friend that would qualify him for something like this.

“Given your service record, your experience with the EXO-7 Falcon prototype and the current training regimen that you maintain with Captain Rodgers, it makes you a prime candidate for the _Avengers._ ” Agent Coulson told him calmly.

Steve didn’t get it, he had known Sam for 18 months, this was the first he was hearing about any prototype. He turned and looked expectantly at Sam.

Sam just sighed before flipping though the briefing tablet and bringing what looked like the schematics for a set of wings.

“It was a prototype built to give the US air force better response times for pararescue, after Riley was shot down the whole thing was scrapped.” Sam explained.

The look Sam gave him told Steve that this was one of those things he carried around in his man-purse.

 

* * *

 

The quinjet ride back to the helicarrier had reinforced everything Steve had ever heard about Tony Stark, mainly that he was an arrogant, egotistical, asshole. The way he had walked into the bridge of the helicarrier, touching everything and making a general nuisance of himself was only cementing this fact further.

If Steve was being honest with himself, his biggest problem with Tony had nothing to do with Tony at all and everything to do with the man’s male model husband.

The first time Steve had seen Yasha Kaidanovsky, only 6 weeks out of the ice, he had a single blinding moment of happiness, thinking that Bucky had survived falling off a train, before reality had come crashing back in, reminding him, that even if Bucky had survived, he would be 95 years old, not the 30 something pictured in the magazine.

Yasha Kaidanovsky, sometimes referred to as Yasha Stark, given that the two men had been together for 20 years at this point, was everything that Bucky wasn’t. The man was a male model (according to some rumours he started out as a high paid prostitute) from Russia, had a starring role in every one of Tony Starks group sex tapes that had been released in the last 20 years and seemed only to be capable of posing for photo shoots, attending charity galas and being something pretty on Tony Starks arm at functions.

So yes, Steve knew he was being unfairly harsh on the man who was in a relationship with the rather lacking imitation of his best friend, but he couldn’t help it.

 

* * *

 

 

In the end the day was saved, Loki was defeated and Tony wasn’t as bad as his poor taste in men would lead you to assume.

The man still had an ego the size of a planet though.

Steve did eventually end up meeting Yasha. They were at charity even to raise money for those affected by the dark elf attack in Greenwich, which had been fended off by Thor and Tony, who had been conducting business in London at the time.

As much as Steve hated these kinds of events, he knew he couldn’t avoid them completely, so he just plastered on his war bonds smile and prepared to endure for the night.

“You must be Captain Rodgers.” The man said, shaking Steve’s hand, his Russian accent slight, but still very much present.

He took a sip of the pink fruity cocktail in his hand that Bucky wouldn’t have been caught dead with before continuing.

“I am Yasha Kaidanovsky, Tony’s partner, he has told me much about you.”

“It’s nice to meet you Mr Kidanovsky.” Steve replied politely.

Yasha just sighed, like he was disappointed by that.

“I am sorry if I have made you uncomfortable Captain. It has been remarked on often over the years that I resemble your friend, so seeing me and knowing I am not him must be hard.” Yasha told him while looking at his glass.

Steve swallowed before replying.

“It is, but that’s not you fault.”

“People think that I am related to him and it is not implausible.” Yasha told him “my grandmother was from Umbria, Italy, and she fled to Russia during the war. She told people when her daughter was born that her husband died fighting, it was only when she was dying that she admitted to my mother that my grandfather was an American, but that she did not know his name.”

Steve felt like he had been hit with a truck. He knew it must be true, but he just couldn’t believe it, Bucky had a kid and a grandkid. Steve took a moment to get his bearings.

“Can I… can I meet your ma?” Steve asked.

Yasha just looked at him with pity.

“I am sorry, there was… it was a car accident. She is gone.” Yasha told him, his voice heavy with sorrow.

“I’m sorry.” Steve told him.

Yasha just took a deep breath before speaking again.

“I know that I am not him. The Bucky you knew died when he fell off a train in 1945, and even if I had been, I would still not have been the Bucky you knew. Just as I suspect that you are not the Same Steve that grew up in Brooklyn. The things we experience change us Captain Rodgers. The Antoshka I saw off to Afghanistan was not the one who came back, he had many of the same building blocks, but something had changed.” Yasha told him earnestly.

Steve nodded his understanding.

“Perhaps in knowing that, in time, we could become friends?” Yasha asked hopefully.

Giving his first genuine smile of the night Steve replied, “I’d like that.”

 

* * *

 

Life continued on, Steve worked with both SHIELD and the US military, saw Tony every other month when the man decided the Avengers needed an armour and equipment upgrade, and got to know Yasha, who got him though most of the charity galas and high society events that he had to attend by telling him scandalous stories about the other attendees before forcing him to mingle with said people. Steve had worked out that Yasha thought it was hilarious watching Steve talk to a 4 star general while knowing said general liked to be spanked but trying not to show it.

Steve was finally working out what Tony saw in the man, he was cunning, devious, and as observant as Natasha.

All of that changed when Sokovia happened.

Steve had been told when he joined SHIELD that in the early 90’s it had been discovered that HYDRA wasn’t as defeated as everyone had thought. There had been a number of assassinations of high-level SHIELD agents, and when their deaths had been investigated, their HYDRA ties had been found. This had led to an in-depth investigation of every SHIELD agent, and while most of HYDRA had been caught, HYDRA cells did pop up from time to time.

This HYDRA cell had somehow gotten their hands-on Loki’s staff and the avengers had been called in to get it back, which they did.

The next day Steve was called into the SHIELD office where they were holding Baron Strucker, apparently the man refused to co-operate unless he talked to him first.

Steve agreed.

“Captain Rodgers.” Strucker greeted as Steve approached his cell.

“Strucker.” He replied.

“I guess you are wondering why you are here Captain.” The Baron smirked “Don’t worry, I have good news. I wanted to let you know that your friend, Sargent Barns is alive. For a given value of alive.”

Steve went rigid, it was impossible. Bucky fell off a train.

“I can see you don’t believe me, but it is true. You will find the proof in the winter soldier files, but I assure you that Sargent Barns lives, or at least his body does, we were never too sure about how much of his mind came back after he turned on us.” Strucker explained with smug satisfaction.

“Although one might argue that he would have been more to his advantage for him to have stayed with us. Better to be HYDRA’s weapon then Stark’s whore.” The Baron taunted.

“Shut up!” Steve finally snapped, banging a fist on the cell. “You’re lying!”

“But what reason would I have to lie Captain, when the truth is a far deadlier blade.”

 

* * *

 

“Please tell me he was lying.” Steve begged.

Director Fury just sighed.

“We always knew that Yasha wasn’t who he said he was. Howard was the one to build his identity back in 92, but we never knew how much of it was the identity Howard build and how much was the truth.” The Director explained.

“We didn’t know he was the Winter Soldier.” He finished.

God, Steve didn’t want to ask the question, but he needed to know.

“What exactly is the winter soldier?” he asked.

“He was HYDRA’s top asset. He has been implicated in over a dozen assassinations, and those are just the ones we can tie to him.” Natasha explained.

“What did Strucker mean about his mind?” Steve asked.

“Steve, they used electro shock therapy on him regularly to erase his memories. Its possible that he doesn’t even remember being Bucky Barns.” Natasha said in soft tone, trying to deliver a harsh truth in the softest manner possible.

“I don’t think he does.” He admitted.

“How can you be sure?” Fury asked.

“Because the first time I met the man, he made a point of telling me that Bucky died falling off a train in 1945.” Steve admitted.

 

* * *

 

The aftermath of Sokovia was hard for Steve, and he ended up back at his therapist.

“Shit happens Rodgers, I can’t change that. I’m just here to show you how to shovel your shit into more manageable piles.”

The whole thing ‘sucked ass’ as she would say, but she showed herself to once again be a godsend and helped him put things into perspective.

He was back to avoiding Yasha though.

 

* * *

 

It was 10 months after the revelation that Yasha was Bucky that a meeting at SHIELD was called.

Most of the Avengers were already present (Tony was running late) as they were introduced to Prince T’Challa and Okoye of Wakanda, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, twins from Sokovia, a blond man who called himself Vision and Dr Stephen Strange.

Just as they were about to start, Tony and Yasha walked into the room.

As Tony walked in, he looked at Dr Strange with narrow eyes before deciding to ignore the man while Yasha took one look at Prince T’Challa and Okoye and grinned.

To Steve’s absolute shock, Okoye, who had been a blank faced statue up until this point smiled pack.

Without hesitation Yasha walked up to the pair, first hugging T’Challa then nodding to Okoye while crossing his arms over his chest.

“The White Wolf of Wakanda.” T’Challa said to Yasha once their greeting was finished “It pleases me that not only have you found peace, but happiness my friend.”  The Prince finished, his eyes flicking to Tony momentarily, who snorted in the background.

“It’s all thanks to you and Princess Shuri, I owe Wakanda a debt I can never repay.” Yasha replied, but instead of his usual hint of Russian, he spoke with Bucky’s Brooklyn drawl.

Hope welled in Steve’s chest, maybe Bucky wasn’t as lost as he thought.

“As nice as this reunion is,” Tony interrupted “am I to assume this meeting is less about catching up with old friends more to do with the ‘ _no other way’_ you mentioned last time I saw you Strange?”

Something in the tone of Tony’s voice made Steve think the man wasn’t happy, although it wasn’t overly noticeable.

“Tony…” Yasha sighed.

“No! Hell, the man has put me though literal hell. I wanna know what even the point of it was. We are no more prepared then we were last time, Thanos is going to come through and squish us all like bugs whether we like it or not. So, I want to know why?” Tony demanded.

Steve was lost, and looking around the room, everyone else seemed to be in the same boat.

“Rodgers was a loose cannon and you know it. But unfortunately for the rest of us the stability of the Avenger relies on the stability of Captain America. You were the only one who could make that happen.” Dr Strange told him unrepentantly.

“And Barns” Tony demanded. Yasha muttered an ‘Oh God’ in the background.

“Siberia was a shitshow. The only way to stop the Avengers from falling apart was to stop the assassination of your parents.” Dr Strange explained.

Steve was so lost.

“Do you have any idea of what you put me through?!” Tony yelled “Waking up on the day my parents were supposed to be murdered with the winter fucking soldier leaning over me?”

“Hey, I just made sure that your parents survived, you’re the one who decided sleeping with him was a good idea.” Dr Strange snapped.

“Okay, that’s enough.” Yasha said, getting between Tony and Dr Strange.

“You’re okay with this, with everything he’s done?” Tony demanded of Yasha.

Yasha just held Tony’s face in both his hands.

“I love you Tony, here and now, I love you. No matter how we started. And besides, half the universe is going to be wiped out in six weeks, we got bigger problems then the less then ideal circumstances our relationship stared in.”

 

* * *

 

It was after Thanos had been defeated that Steve finally got to talk to Bucky.

(Bucky was alive, he was here, he was real)

They were at the Avengers compound, a party to celebrate their victory. Steve picked up two beers and wandered out to the balcony where Tony and Bucky were talking quietly.

As Steve got close to the two of them, Tony murmured a “I’ll catch up with you later.” To Bucky, squeezing his hand before turning to Steve with a “Cap” as he wandered back to the party.

Steve handed Bucky one of the beers and they both leant against the balcony railing for a moment, drinking quietly together.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Steve asked, breaking the silence.

“Steve, we didn’t tell anyone. Howard asked for years, right up until he died.” Bucky explained.

“I get why you didn’t tell people about Thanos,” Steve huffed “I meant why didn’t you tell me you were _alive?”_

And that was it, really, out of this whole thing, The Avengers, Thanos, time travel, the thing that hurt the most was that Bucky hadn’t told him he was alive.

“I’m sure you remember Strange saying you were a lose cannon?” Bucky asked.

Steve nodded, not sure where his friend was going with this.

“There was a document, called the Sokovia Accords, basically the UN wanted the Avengers to have oversight, some of the Accords were utter bull shit, but the driving force behind it, the world needed them. And you, you basically told 117 countries to go fuck themselves.” Bucky explained.

Steve felt slightly sick.

“In the beginning, you were willing to just retire, but I was framed for bombing the UN building in Vienna, and you being your idiot self couldn’t stand idly by while there was a kill order for me.” Bucky said as he looked at the scenery.

Steve was horrified.

“The Avengers ended up fighting each other, a superhero civil war. Because of that, when Thanos came, he easily just picked us off, one by one.” Bucky explained.

“What about you and Tony? I mean, sometimes you just look like you’re the perfect couple and other times it looks like you can’t stand to be in the same room together.” Steve asked, curious.

In the last two months it had been like Tony and Yasha’s perfectly cultivated facade had fallen away, leaving behind Tony and Bucky’s chaotic and volatile relationship in its place.

Bucky laughed at the question before shaking his head and becoming serious.

“Steve, you gotta remember pal, when Tony and I met, I had killed his parents.” Bucky explained.

 And suddenly it sank in. It had been mentioned when Dr Strange had explained about how he had used time travel to defeat Thanos, but it had been lost in amongst all the other information. In another life, Bucky had killed Howard and Maria. Bucky had killed Tony’s parents and Tony had been forced to live with him for the last thirty years in order to save the world.

Maybe Tony wasn’t the egotistical ass Steve had always thought he was.

Ignorant of Steve’s internal revelations, Bucky kept talking.

“When everything happened, we had lost, half of the universe was dead and then suddenly, I was almost thirty years in the past, gearing up to go murder Tony’s parents again. I dug out the trackers HYDRA had put in me and went looking for Howard. I figured that even if I was alone, Howard would have the resources to hide me from HYDRA until we could uproot them from SHIELD. I found Tony first thought.” He explained, shaking his head with a small smile before continuing.

“We both figured out pretty quickly that we were from the future when Tony tried using HYDRA’s trigger words and I told him if he was expecting compliance then he could get fucked. As for our relationship, it stared out as a way to keep me out of HYDRA’s hands, they couldn’t just make me ‘ _disappear’_ if I was a public figure. By the time ten years had gone by, it had stopped being an act to keep me safe and had just become, life I guess.”

“What about all the, you know… _tapes…?”_ Steve asked.

He had to know. For all that Bucky had never been shy around the lady’s, the glance he had seen of one of them and the stories he had heard about the rest, he didn’t think that was the kind of thing Bucky would get involved in, ex HYDRA assassin or not.

Bucky laughed.

“Tony grew up in front of the media, he knew how to play it, how to use it to his advantage. That first ten years, a lot of it was spent with Tony and I cleaning out SHIELD, without letting them know that it was us. If SHIELD was to go back and look over their files, they would probably find that every one of thoes tapes was covering up a high-profile assassination. No one is going to look too closely at Stark’s boyfriend when the man is obviously a Russian prostitute to busy getting high and having sex.”

Steve didn’t know whether to be impressed of horrified at how Tony and Bucky had managed to hide their two-man war against HYRDA.

“You know, in another life I bet Tony would make a mint directing porn with how he managed to pull those off.” Bucky add, obviously sensing Steve’s thoughts.

“You’re a jerk.” Steve said hitting him in the shoulder.

“So, what now?” Steve asked.

“Well, I’m going to ask Tony to marry me, because it’s been thirty years, and if we haven’t killed each other by now, then we are not going to. Then I’m going to talk Tony into having kids like he’s always wanted to, be never could because we had this hanging over our heads.” Bucky said with a smile.

Steve smiled at his friend.

Maybe, if Bucky could find happiness in this crazy future they had found themselves in, then maybe, he could too.

**Author's Note:**

> Just to clear up any confusion, I've always had the impression that Steve had only been out of the ice for a few week, a couple of months tops, before New York happened. 
> 
> In this story, even though it doesn't outright say it, Tony and Bucky have been pulling strings for years, and set it up for Steve to be 'found' a few years early, to give him time to adjust.


End file.
